ܙܕܝܢܝܩܝܐ

ܙܕܝܢܝܩܝܐzdynyqyʾ hangman, gaoler, perhaps to emend to ܙܹܢܕܵܢܝܼܩܵܐzndnyqʾzendāniqā, or to ܙܹܢܕܵܢܩܵܢܵܐzndnqnʾzendānqānā

Early MP zēndānīk gaoler, later zēndānīg [zyndʾnyk'] prisoner (CPD 99), but also prison governor (see below); ManMP zyndʾnyg /zēndānīg/ prisoner (Durkin-Meisterernst 2004, 387); or ← Early MP *zēndānakān, later *zēndānagān (see below). — Cf. Talm. Aram. zndwqnʾ (to read zndnqnʾ) gaoler (Telegdi 243, 70). The Syr. form, clearly corrupted, was emended to zndnyqzendāniq by Lagarde (Mitt. 3, 23) and to zndnqnʾzendānqānā by Nöldeke (1898 § 140). According to the first hypothesis, the Syr. form would be a loanword from Early MP zēndānīk, MP zēndānīg [zyndʾnyk'] prisoner (CPD 99). However, some scholars did not accept this interpretation because they were convinced that MP zēndānīg only means "prisoner", whereas the Syr. form (as well as the Talm. Aram. one) clearly means "gaoler". Consequently, Nöldeke (1898 § 140) and Telegdi (243, 70) favoured the second hypothesis, namely that the model of the borrowing was Early MP *zēndān-akān. Moreover, Semitists seem convinced that the Syr. form and the Talm. Aram. one are substantially the same word, and derive from the same Iranian model. As regards Talm. Aram. zndwqnʾ (emended to zndnqnʾ by Telegdi), the word requires a slight emendation to become very close to its Ir. model, namely Early MP *zēndānakān, later *zēndānagān, as suggested by Telegdi (243, 70) and by Shaked 1987, 259. As regards the Syr. word, I believe that the model of the borrowing has been Early MP zēndānīk: the attested form is more corrupted than the Talm. Aram. one, and it is not necessary, in my opinion, that its model was the same from which also the Talm. Aram. word derives. Furthermore, if we allow ourselves to distinguish the two Semitic forms, and if we emend the word to ܙܹܢܕܵܢܝܼܩܵܐzndnyqʾzendāniqā, we do not have to face any semantic difficulty. It is true that in CPD 99 MP zēndānīg is only translated "prisoner", as well as ManMP zyndʾnyg /zēndānīg/ prisoner, recorded in Durkin-Meisterernst 2004, 387 (who quotes Boyce's doubt about the meaning: "prisoner" or "gaoler"?), but in the KZ inscription, MP zyndʾnyk and Parth. zyndnyk (Gr. ὀ ἐπι; τῆς φυλακῆς) mean exactly "der das Gefängnis unter seiner Aufsicht hat", namely "prison governor, gaoler" (cf. Huyse 1999/2, 171); see also Szemérenyi 1975, 361, who quotes MP zēndānīg prison governor. As regards the rendering of the Iranian morphemes -ak(a)- and -akān(a) see Shaked 1987, 259 and § 11.3.1.1, above ● Afr 297, 14 ◆ LS 201a–b; PS 1083; PS Suppl. 107